Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

 2½ cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter, sliced

1¼ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

1 cup caramel squares, cut into ¼’s (or Kraft Caramel bits from WalMart – saves unwrapping and cutting the caramels)

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Coarse Sea salt or sea salt flakes for sprinkling (I prefer the flakes; the salt flavor is more subtle that way.)

Directions:  
1. Mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and ½ tsp salt, and set aside.

2. To brown the butter, heat a medium saucepan to medium high heat. Add the sliced butter, whisking frequently. You will notice the butter starting to become frothy on the top and brown specks will start to form along the bottom. You have to watch it closely because the turn happens quickly and you don’t want it to burn. You will start to smell a nutty aroma and once it turns to a brown color, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

3. While the butter is cooling, cut the caramel squares into fourths.

4. Combine the brown butter and brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar in large mixer bowl. Mix until blended and smooth. Beat in egg, yolk, vanilla and yogurt and mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.

5. Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°. 

7. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball and place 3-5 caramel pieces inside; wrap the cookie dough over the caramel and roll back into a ball. Make sure it is completely covered so that the caramel won’t stick to the pan.

8. Mix ¼ cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl and roll each cookie in the mixture. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly brown. (I usually wind up baking them 11-15 minutes; otherwise they are way too soft.) The centers will be soft. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Note: I was trying to be frugal and used two whole eggs instead of 1 + 1 egg yolk (didn’t want to discard that extra white!). That was a mistake; it made the dough way too soft. Now, I follow the recipe as written, and they turn out much better.

Recipe Contributor:  Karen Shea